


cherry flavored

by Anonymous



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Chubby Reader, Drinking, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Jealousy, Misunderstandings, Slow Dancing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-16
Updated: 2021-02-24
Packaged: 2021-03-18 00:54:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,769
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29481021
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: you meet the whirlwind of an enigma named eren jaeger. you tried to ignore whatever there is between the two of you for the sake of your sweet, sweet roommate, mikasa, who you believed was dating eren. but, the more times you meet each other, the harder it is to ignore eren's gaze and the tension that always seems to envelop the two of you
Relationships: Eren Yeager/Reader
Comments: 15
Kudos: 76
Collections: Anonymous





	1. sweet and sour motivation

**Author's Note:**

> THIS ONES FOR ALL MY FELLOW INSECURE CHUBBY GIRLS!!!! also based off that tiktok sound that goes like  
> "hi uhm would you date me if i was skinny?"  
> "i'd fuck you now :D" 
> 
> title from cherry flavored by the neighbourhood

first meeting: 

it wouldn’t be so unusual that there was a boy standing in front of your dorm room. they were co-ed dormitories, and this guy could have easily been the student living next door, or he just might have gotten lost looking for his friend’s room. but, as you two sized each other up, the idea that this guy was a student at all was becoming less and less of a certainty. 

you had just opened the door, ready to leave for your first class of the day, when you almost smacked into a chest instead. and now you were looking at this kid, who had long brown hair trapped behind him in a messy bun, and green eyes with purple shadows drawing deep relief under his eyes. he was dressed haphazardly, a black hoodie with random splotches of stains adorning it, some jeans that rode a bit too low for comfort. on top of all that, he had on pink slippers. 

all this, at first glance, would have reminded you of a fellow freshman who had partied too hard last night, and was just trying to get back to his own dorm room in one piece. but, there was something about him, the more you looked at the other, that screamed danger. his posture was too stiff for a hungover college student, back ramrod straight in a way that was surly instilled into him. his hands were locked into fists by his side, and he seemed like he was living under a live wire, full of restless energy that he had nowhere to release. 

his eyes, though, were what fully clued you in that this wasn’t a normal college student. it felt like you were staring back at a corpse. there was almost no life in the dull green of them. but even then, you could see the panic set in them as the moments passed, the both of you staring at each other, not saying a word. it was obvious you were not who he was expecting to see. the matching frown that adorned his face brought the whole appearance together. 

“uhm, hi,” you say after the awkward silence passed. it was a stagnant breath of a welcome, but you had been rightfully startled. it was 7:30 AM, and you didn’t expect to meet another person before you even stepped out of your dorm room. 

“who are you?” the stranger asked, his eyebrows skewed in a way that showed confusion and frustration. you watched the guy in slight fascination before stepping back in apprehension. 

“you can’t just show up on  _ my _ doorsteps and interrogate  _ me _ . who are you?” you ask, affrontated. 

the boy’s mouth twisted into an ugly grin, something mean. “eren. where’s mikasa?” he asks, and just by saying the name of your roommate he seems to relax somewhat. he closed his eyes, taking a deep, steadying breath, before he opened them again. the slight anger that had zipped through his eyes had already gone, and you were once again staring at eyes that held no shine in them. 

you took a chance at looking away from the other, eren apparently, and gazed into your room. the invisible line that separated the room was obvious. your side wasn’t by any means spotless, but it was clean enough to not cause any unwarranted anxiety over the state. but your roommate, mikasa’s side, had always been horrendous. clothes were strewn every which way, shoes were tossed all about, mingling with candy wrappers and redbull cans. your side looked like heaven compared to mikasa’s. 

mikasa herself was in the eye of the trash storm, sleeping deeply in her bed that sported all her clean clothes on top of the covers as well. you could just barely see the crown of her head how deep in the duvet she had burrowed herself in. 

you looked back at eren, frowning. you and mikasa got along well, in the month you’ve known her. she was quiet, but was a nice roommate, even with the mess she seemed to always build around her. she had never mentioned an eren, but she has mentioned the creepy guys who seemed to sometimes stalk her on campus. 

you look back, suddenly realizing that maybe this one was of those clowns. you felt a new sinking pit of fear in your stomach. this guy did look super odd, and he never stated his intentions or how he knew mikasa. maybe you hadn’t properly recognized the threat that this guy could have been initially. the shitty attire and pink fuzzy slippers made the guy seem harmless, but even you could tell there was something unspeakable unhinged about the guy. 

“she’s asleep right now. you should come back later,” you explained softly, hoping to turn the guy away for the moment and diffuse the situation. you’d have to let the RA’s know about this guy if he comes back snooping at odd hours again. 

eren suddenly let out a soft huff of anger. “i’m done with this,” he muttered, and before you knew it, eren was grabbing you by the hips. you let out a soft gasp of air as he bodily picked you and moved you out of his way. you flushed as you felt his warm hands mold into the soft mush of your curves, and wondered just how strong this guy was that he could pick you up so easily. he discarded you away from the way, before immediately zeroing in on the lump that was mikasa and striding up toward her bed. you let out a slight screech of indignation from the turn of events. 

you just about had the idea to grab the lamp that was on top of your desk to smack the back of his head while he was turned away.

as you were inching out into the room to do just that, mikasa suddenly stirred out of her sleep. you watched, shocked at the sight. mikasa slept like the dead, and never woke up before 10 AM. and yet her groggy gray eyes blinked open as eren fell on top of her. he peeled back the covers and dove under. 

what finally convinced you to stop your slow advance to the deadliest weapon in your room (beside mikasa herself) was the soft smile that grew on mikasa’s face. she didn’t seem to notice you were there. 

you looked down at your phone as you realized two things: 

  1. eren was obviously mikasa’s boyfriend and 
  2. you were going to be late for your lab if you didn’t leave right then and there.



with that, you stole one last quick glance of the couple in the bed, both of them already breathing deep from sleep, before racing out the room, the only thing on your mind being a prayer that a bus was still waiting outside the dorms to take you to the main campus.


	2. wish i could keep concentration

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wahhh 100 hits and 20 kudos thank you so much :)   
> i hope you guys enjoy this, it's going to slowly ramp up from here on out so uh   
> get ready for that

second meeting: 

you arrived back to your dorm three hours later, beat from carefully holding glass equipment and praying to not mess up any step in your lab procedure. you didn’t have another class until 2, and wanted to take the advantage of your room to have a quick nap. 

the shower in your dorm room being on was the first clue that something was off. mikasa should have been gone already, on her way to her 11 AM class. she must’ve woken up later than usual, your already sleepy mind thought. you started to shimmy out of the jeans you had on, ready to put on your ratty sweatshirt and comfy sweats. the shower stopped, and you barely noticed as you perused your drawers in your underwear. neither you or mikasa were particularly shy, even though you had always felt self conscious comparing her toned body to your soft rolls and thicker body. but, those intrusive thoughts would have plagued you no matter who you were stripping next to. but the point remained, the two of you had clearly seen more than enough of each other’s bodies living together, so you weren’t too uncomfortable stripping in a room that mikasa would soon enter. 

the door to the bathroom opened just as you found the clothing you wanted, getting ready to take off your soft sweater as well. you felt the hot steam of the shower blow through the main dorm room, instantly raising the temperature a bit. you smiled at the heat, knowing it’d help you fall asleep later. 

you turned to question mikasa, wondering why she was still here, shirt in your hand, when your brain stuttered to a stop. eren stared back at you, wide eyed, mikasa’s towel that was peppered with cats wrapped around his waist. 

it was deja vu all over again, the both of you regarding each other in silence, the tension suddenly sweltering in the room along with the added steam. you couldn’t stop your eyes from quickly roving down eren’s body, which showcased muscular arms, godforsaken washboard abs, and a naval that disappeared under the towel. 

your eyes quickly snapped back up, fearing that eren caught you ogling, but he himself was busy as well, his gaze seeming to travel all over you, his eyes more alive than you had ever seen.

the sudden thought of this, admittedly very hot, guy seeing all the stretch marks that adorned your stomach, the cellulite that marked your thighs and butt, and the general chubbiness of your person made your throat close up in sheer panic. 

you let out a whimper, the alarm and anxiousness hitting you like a brick. the tell tale pin prick feeling of tears hit your eyes, and you tried to blink it away. the last thing you wanted to do was suddenly break down in front of this stranger. 

“what the fuck? can you please turn around?” you all but choke out, so incredibly upset by the sudden turn of events. eren’s eyes had jumped to yours when you had let out the noise, and they seemed to well up in a sudden wariness of their own, but at the moment you didn’t care. you just wanted to disappear, sink into the floor in pure mortification. this was the most a guy had ever seen of your body ever, and it was wrapped up in your comfortable cotton panties and plain and old bra. 

eren didn’t even say anything, just turned around. before he did, you saw him clench his eyes shut. you stood there for another moment in shock, before you dropped the shirt you had been wearing to your bed, trying to put on your clothes as fast as possible. you thanked god himself that you hadn’t taken off your bra at that moment either, but if eren had stayed in the bathroom a minute longer, you might have given him a real show then. 

the embarrassment of the situation enveloped you completely, and you couldn’t stop thinking about it as you hiked your sweats over your stomach, letting the oversized sweatshirt envelop you and obscure your body shape. 

you let out a breathy sigh as you shoved the clothing you had worn back into the drawers, not even caring that they weren’t folded properly. you tried not to shrink in on yourself as you took a seat on your bed. you looked toward eren, who was still stock silent, having not even moved an inch. 

“i’m decent,” you said weakly, all thought of blissfully sleeping for a couple hours dissolving from your brain. eren turned back slowly, blinking his eyes open as they settled on your form. you tried not to squirm, hoping to look as little as uncomfortable as you felt. eren swallowed a moment before speaking. his gaze felt like fire itself, lighting you up inside with a feeling that indescribable, something you had never felt before. 

“i’m sorry...mikasa told me i had the room to myself for most of the day. she said you wouldn’t come back until 4.” eren explained, looking pained, his eyebrows pinched close to his face. good, you thought, you weren’t the only one reeling from embarrassment. though, as eren still hadn’t moved a muscle to dress, it might have just been embarrassment for you, not him. 

mikasa wasn’t wrong in telling him so. you usually stayed on campus all day, finding a spot in the library to study or do homework until your class at 2. you had just been feeling too tired to study, and had reassured yourself that you had done all your homework that weekend and deserved some rest. obviously, it had been a mistake to upend your routine. 

“it’s okay, seriously. i’m just...mortified,” you mutter out, and eren let out a little chuckle at that. it was stilted and awkward, like he wasn’t used to laughing. you looked at him strangely, and wondered briefly who eren was, with his deep soulless looking eyes, body that looked straight from a comic book, and demeanor like he went through hell and back. 

“let’s just...start over again,” you try, realizing that your only interactions with this man had been both painfully awkward and borderline hostile. you got up from your bed, and strode across the small space between the two of you, reaching a hand out. 

you greeted him with a soft hello, before telling him your name, all the while trying not to crumple under his look. eren looked down at you strangely, before he let his lip drag up into a half smile. he clasped your own hand, the rough pads of them sparking your own soft hands. you tried not to shiver over just how hot blooded eren was, a furnace of heat seeming to crawl through his veins. 

“eren jaeger,” he replied, and you smiled. it was then that you realized that your hands were still grasping each other, eren’s own palm so much larger and wider than your own. you also realized that eren was still almost naked, and the fruity scent of mikasa’s body wash on eren’s skin was almost divine. you felt your throat dry up, and had to remind yourself that this was a taken man. he was  _ dating  _ mikasa, your roommate and arguably your closest friend in college. 

you ended up being the one that put an end to your contact with eren, smiling awkwardly as you let go of his hand. you looked away as eren continued to stare at you, seemingly trying to solve a puzzle in his own mind. 

“anyways, i just wanted to take a nap before my next class. so, i’m going to go do that,” you said awkwardly, pointing back to your bed like a complete nerd. eren nodded, but his eyes were soft, for the first time completely transforming from the haunted look that was standard for the other. 

“no worries, i’ll be real quiet,” eren promised, and you smiled back before turning and hopping back onto your bed. the conversation had ended, but the silence was stifling in a way you had never experienced, a whirring tension between the two of you that you couldn’t name. as you turned your body to the wall, you could just barely hear the sound of the towel dropping onto the ground.

you almost let out of noise, a choked thing from the back of your throat as your mind raced with the possibilities of what was going on just out of sight. eren was there, inches away in your small, cramped dorm room, naked as the day he was born, spare water droplets dripping from his wet hair. a body shaped like adonis just an arm’s reach away. but then you realized who  _ you  _ were, and who eren was dating, and any desire in your tummy rotted away. 

but no matter how many times you tried to remind yourself that eren would never want you, that he had a girlfriend, that his girlfriend was your  _ best friend _ , every moment that you heard eren rustle something in the room, or heard the creak of the floorboards under his feet, your stomach clenched harder and the butterflies in it only grew more frantic. 

and as eren carried his business right outside your view, you knew that the both of you were on a collision course towards something that could be undeniably catastrophic. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for reading!!! i hope you enjoyed   
> comments and kudos are always appreciated thank you :)


	3. take me somewhere beyond

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im super happy and excited about this chapter!! eee i hope you guys enjoy reading it as much as i enjoyed writing it :')   
> next chapter might not be for a while, unfortunately :(

third meeting: 

the days went by. eren was gone when you had woken up from your fitful sleep that terrible day, and you hadn’t seen him since. there were no more strange visits at weird hours, no half naked man disrupting any and all normalcy in your life, no green eyes that seemed to perpetually haunt your dreams now. not even mikasa mentioned eren again, going about her day as if eren had never visited her. you had half the mind to believe you had imagined him entirely with how he seemed to disappear in the wind, but the only piece of evidence of his arrival was strewn on the floor of mikasa’s side of the bed: eren’s splotchy black hoodie. 

you didn’t want to admit to yourself how reassured you felt after seeing that piece of clothing show up on mikasa’s floor one day. at least now you knew that eren was in fact real, and not a figment of your imagination. 

so, the days went passed, and you tried to forget the horrible encounters you had with the other, tried to forget the feeling of his palm against yours, tried to only remind yourself that eren was mikasa’s boyfriend, and that was, at most, the only connection you’d have with him. 

it just goes to show you how fate works then, that the moment that you had seemingly finally let go of eren in your head, you would see him again. 

it was your turn to pick up groceries, restocking the dorm’s supply of toilet paper, pads, and junk snacks that you and mikasa liked to binge on. you were in the drink aisle of the small grocery store that was near the campus, finding a pack of redbull to fuel mikasa’s late night study binges, when you saw a familiar, looming figure in the same aisle. he was staring at the alcohol though, eyebrows scrunched as he seemed indecisive on what he wanted. 

the crippling feeling of despair crawled up your throat at the sight of eren. no matter how friendly you had tried to seem before, the idea of speaking to eren again, after the embarrassing scene that had filled your brain with so much self loathing for days, was really unappealing. so instead of doing the normal thing and waving or saying a simple hi to the other, your brain shut down completely and the only thing you could think to do was get away as silently as possible. so, you moved slowly, hoping you were enough out of his eye sight that he wouldn’t notice you. you were just going to disappear entirely from the aisle when you saw eren suddenly frown before looking up, straight at you. 

you froze, a deer stuck in the headlights, the gaze of eren’s eyes piercing straight through you. eren blinked, before his lips slightly quivered in a vague instance of a smile. his eyes were like before, bored looking, the bags under them dark and imposing. he called out your name though, and you responded with a stiff wave. 

“can i get your opinion on something?” he asked, his voice soft and deep in the grocery store. it almost made you shiver at the cadence, but instead you just nodded silently, hoping that this would only take a moment. 

as you got near eren, you saw that he was holding two bottles of alcohol, one a dark amber color and the other clear like water. 

“rum or vodka,” eren asked quietly, his eyebrows pinching back up as he looked at either bottle. instead of looking at them, you looked at him, eyebrows raised.   
“you’re 21?” you asked instead of answering. eren gave you a side eyed look, eyes sparking in brief amusement before sighing.

“i may not be, but my i.d says i am,” he replies. you let out a scoff, before wrinkling your nose at both options in his hand. 

“i don’t like either. at least with rum you can add coke,” you say half heartedly. you’ve been to your fair share of high school and college parties, mostly at the behest of your friends, but drinking was not a foreign concept to you. vodka made you nauseous in the worst way possible, and the sweet tang of rum and coke was a deceptive trickster, that usually ended up with you more drunk than you initially went for. but still, taste wise, rum was better in your opinion. 

it was eren’s turn to scoff, rolling his eyes at your opinion. “never ask a novice for an opinion,” he replies, but he ends up putting away the vodka before turning to you, smiling. 

“i’m sorry i’m not an alcoholic,” you reply back, your tone light. you passed by him, going toward the area that held energy drinks. since you were already there, you might as well get the pack for mikasa. eren followed you as you went, and you tried not to think of his gaze on your body. 

“it’s not alcoholism if you’re just drinking with a buddy,” eren comments, and you look back at him with a raised eyebrow. 

“and who is this buddy?” you ask, looking away to find the beverage you were looking for. you frown when you see the redbull was placed on the topmost shelf, just out of reach for your arm length. you tried, standing up on your tiptoes to reach farther, but it was a no go. just then, eren reached over you, almost bracketing you into the shelf. the heat of his chest burned through your back, and you stared wide eyed at the monster cans in front of you, as still as you could be as eren grabbed the pack for you. 

eren stepped away when he had grabbed it, and you turned around, seeing him drop it into your shopping basket. you swallowed, feeling the thick swarm of butterflies threaten to flurry up and out of your stomach at any moment. 

“uhm, thanks,” you say, stilted. eren just shook his head, letting his eyes flicker across the aisle, looking for something else apparently. 

“no problem. those for mikasa? i tell her that she needs to lay off those, and yet she won’t listen to me,” eren mutters, rolling his eyes once again. bringing up mikasa brought you out of your stupor though, and the heady haze in your mind dissipated quickly when you realized just once again who you were poorly lusting over. a taken man. you winced in weary self loathing at the thought. 

“yeah, i tell her the same. bad for the heart. i...i have to go though,” you say softly, wanting to leave this godforsaken aisle and never return to this store again in your life. the damage was done though, and you knew that eren would be the center of your thoughts for the next couple of days again. 

“oh, but i’m getting coke, just for you. you’re going to be my drinking buddy tonight, right?” eren asked, tapping at the newly procured coke bottle in his hands. 

you willed yourself not to let his suggestion get to you, willed the idea of getting drunk and learning the secrets of eren out of your mind. he wasn’t yours to crack open and divulge in. 

“i probably shouldn’t. i don’t think mikasa would want that,” you murmur softly, hoping that eren would understand just what kind of predicament he was putting you in. instead he looked at you with a strange look, as if the idea of mikasa not wanting her boyfriend and roommate to interact to be preposterous. 

“i really don’t think she’d care,” eren replies, and the earnestness in his voice was genuine. maybe they just had a really secure relationship. it would make sense. you bit your lip, thinking about it for another moment. you didn’t really have any other plans tonight; you were just going to go home and maybe watch some movies while mikasa jammed out to heavy metal three feet away from you. 

“okay, then,” you agree, and the moment you did, eren smiled wickedly, the glint of his canines seeming particularly sharp in the lowlight of the store. you smiled weakly back, the nervousness traveling through your body as you followed eren to the checkout area. 

the both of you checked out at separate cashiers. you loaded your things out on the beltline, thoughts a million miles away as you thought on just what eren had in store for you tonight. 

you met eren outside the store. he had his things in two plastic bags, while you carried a big reusable bag with everything stuffed inside of it. 

“where to,” you ask, waiting for eren to say they’d be going back to his place or something equally terrifying and unknown. 

“the beach?” eren asks softly, looking wistful for a second. you ruminate on the idea, surprised for a moment at the suggestion. the beach near your college was more rocky and hostile than a regular tourist beach. due to that, it was mostly deserted, especially in the offseason like it was now. it was large too, so the chance of seeing others was even smaller. it was a perfect place to get away from it all, as well as a perfect place to get a bit tipsy. 

you looked at him, shrugging, “lead the way.” 

by the time the both of you made it to the beach, it was dusk, the sky a pretty orange as the sun fell below the water. eren led you to an area that you’d never seen previously, apologizing for the trees and forest you two had to bypass to get to it. 

“it’s hard to get to, but it’s worth it. i found it a couple years ago, and always come back here...when everything gets too much,” eren mutters the last part, and you felt a pang of some sort of sorrow at the laced pain in his voice. you wished you could do something, comfort him in some way, but the barrier between the two of you might as well have been a concrete wall. the unsteady friendship that the two of you had seemed to form was...well, unsteady, and you didn’t think any soul searching conversations would do anything but crumple any development you two could form. 

so instead, you focused on not tripping on upheaved roots and loose veins. the sweat that formed on your temple was embarrassing, but you just wiped at it and hoped eren didn’t notice. 

the both of you had finally broken through the trees, and the sight that met you was picturesque. it was a miniature version of the beach, the sand forming a small semicircle before touching the waves. the water was calm enough to look more like some kind of a lagoon than the choppy ocean it was most likely attached to. you smiled at the sight, feeling excited for the first time that night, the emotion briefly eclipsing the nerves in your body. 

“beautiful, isn’t it?” eren asked, and you looked away from the view to see eren staring openly at you, a small smile on his face. you felt heat warm your face and looked away again, the look on his face seeming too soft in the pale orange of the sunset. 

“yeah, it is,” you replied softly. 

it grew quiet again, before eren cleared his throat. you looked back to see him walk toward an upended dead log, searching inside of the opening for something. his hand grasped something before he withdrew it and a plastic bag filled with a giant fluffy blanket appeared in his grasp. 

“wow, you’re ready for anything, huh?” you comment as eren made his way to the middle of the sand. you followed him and helped him lay out the blanket. it was really old, and had images of pink and white flowers peppered on them like it was a child’s blanket long ago that had been repurposed many times in it’s lifetime. 

you settled down onto the blanket as eren set up the drinks, looking out at the sea as you slipped out of your shoes. the sun was setting slowly, and the beauty of the scene really did capture your breath. you hugged your legs to your body, letting your head rest on your knees as you relaxed. 

“here,” eren said next to you. you turned your head to see eren offering you a drink, the red solo cup hiding the concoction from sight. you grab it, your hands briefly touching, and the zip of electricity between the two of you was enough to almost startle you. eren didn’t say anything, only going to pour his own cup of alcohol. 

you took a small sip, savoring the sticky taste of it. eren settled down next to you, and the silence between the two of you was calm this time. you ignored how close he was to you, the heat of him almost intoxicating. 

“it’s so calm here, isn't it. this beach is one of my favorite places on earth,” eren murmurs into the quietness, the lull of the sea water a backdrop to his words. you look back to him, and this time he was staring at the water, the last blip of the sun being the only thing that illuminated him. 

“why’s that?” you ask, hoping to go for casual conversation. 

eren shrugged, “a lot of childhood memories, i guess. i felt true happiness playing on this sand, swimming in those waters,” he replied, his voice nostalgic for things he can no longer grasp, of a life that he could no longer look forward to. he took a large swig of his own cup, sadness lining his features. 

“i had never been to a beach before i moved here for college,” you replied, knowing that any instances of pitying words wouldn’t work on eren. “it’s magical really, seeing the water disappear from sight, but knowing that it could stretch on for ages. terrifying, but beautiful,” you say into the air.  _ like you _ , you want to add, but know that those thoughts would be best kept in your mind. you took another sip of the drink, hoping that it’d wash away the thought. 

you both grow silent again, the darkness of the night kept at bay by the stars that now shown above you, the purple sky meeting the inky blackness of night.

the drink works its way quickly through you, warming you as the night grows more chilly. you begin to buzz with the effects of the alcohol, your mind growing fuzzy around the edges. you turn again to see eren staring at you, and you can’t help but focus on his lips, wondering if they’d feel as soft on yours as they looked. 

you bit your lip as the thought persisted. to end the warring battle in your mind, you thrusted out your empty cup, and let eren refill it up for you. you took another sip the moment he gave it back to you. eren laughed into the night air, before getting up. you looked at him, perplexed at the sudden movement. 

eren’s hand suddenly fell in front of your face. you looked up, raising an eyebrow in question. “just get up, trust me,” he said by way of explanation. you took another gulp of your drink, before grasping his hand. he lifted you up easily, and you tried not to think how infinitely hot that was. the momentum of the pull caused you to fall into eren’s chest. the breath stuck in your throat as eren steadied you, holding your shoulders briefly before his hands fell to your waist. you looked up, entirely surprised at the turn of events. 

“put your hands on my shoulders. listen to the waves, and dance with me,” eren murmured into the cold night. you licked your suddenly dry lips, but let the fizzy feeling of alcohol move you. you did as he told and soon the both of you were swaying under the night sky, the steady sound of the water moving creating a special rhythm for the both of you. 

you couldn’t look away from him, eren’s eyes burning deep into your soul, a red flush noticeable on his cheeks. his eyes were hooded, playful in a way you had never seen before. his hands on you felt like a brand, and you were burning up from the inside. every sense of yours was filled with eren, eren, eren. 

the both of you twirled across the sand, eren leading the both of you in a silent and devastating dance. the sand under your toes was cool, the only point of contact that wasn’t burning up due to eren’s presence. 

“what are we doing?” you ask, hoping your words didn’t slur too harshly. you were a terrible lightweight, but by the look on eren’s face, he wasn’t doing too hot either. 

“like i said, we’re dancing. isn’t it fun?” he asked softly, teasingly. you rolled your eyes at the answer, not satisfied with it. 

“no, i mean, what are we  _ doing _ ?” you repeat, looking up at him, hoping he’d understand everything you were asking in that one sentence. it was surreal, the way that this stranger had crashed into your life and had caused such a drastic upheaval in such short notice. you would have never done this with any other stranger, slow dancing under the moonlight alone. no one even knew where you were at this moment. eren was entirely in control here, but even then, you weren’t scared of the sour possibilities that could come from this. 

something about eren was entirely alien to you, entirely disconnected from the rest of the human experience. 

“i’m ignoring the world for the night with one of the prettiest girls i’ve ever met in my life,” eren replied, his tone shockingly real and truthful. the words crashed into you harder than any wave ever could. 

and for that moment, you let that be the only thing you focused on as well. you let eren pull you closer into him, let your head fall onto his shoulder, and watched the black waves as the two of you made a brief and fleeting paradise in each other. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> comments and kudos are appreciated! thank you for reading :)

**Author's Note:**

> lemme know what you think <3 comments and kudos appreciated


End file.
